PUBLISHED on November 30, 2025
Before we move on to the actual proposal, I’d like to continue with Mark Twain’s popular saying: “Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret what makes you smile.” »
“Rule Breakers,” the film under review, is said to be “based on the inspiring true story of Afghanistan’s first all-female robotics team who defied the odds and fought for education and opportunity.” This dramatic adventure was helmed by Oscar-winning director Bill Guttentag, who has a reputation for working on inspiring true stories from around the world.
The film revolves around the truly inspired story of Roya Mahboob, a daring Afghan woman entrepreneur, and her students. The iconoclastic role of Roya was wonderfully played by Nikohl Boosheri in the film. Under the caring, courageous and revolutionary leadership of Roya Mahboob, these young girls form the Afghan robotics team “Dreamers”, breaking all socio-cultural confinements and crossing all political obstacles to cross the threshold of the global robotics arena. It is pertinent to mention here that this film has no connection with a novel of the same title written by Preeti Shenoy, which deals with the violation of rules by an Indian woman in an Indian setting.
In fact, born in Herat, Afghanistan, Roya founded and serves as the Managing Director of Afghan Citadel Software Company, a full-service software development company based in her hometown. She rose to prominence when she launched and ran a leading IT company in Afghanistan – a country where it is still quite exceptional for girls or women to study, let alone work outside the home.
As the curtain rises, we meet Roya as a teacher in a classroom, during a period from 2017 to 2019-2020, a time marked by severe taboos, restrictions and stifling for women in terms of socio-cultural, educational and civic freedoms and development in Afghanistan. She remembers her past when she was studying as a young student herself; she had ambitions to learn computer science, technology and other sciences. Unfortunately, when the instructor started teaching the students how to use newly acquired computers and smart gadgets, all the female students, including Roya, were ordered to leave the class. This was not simply a denial of the innate right to learn and grow, but a pure insult, alienation and disappointment to half of the Afghan population as well as to global society. In the next scene, she is shown desperately looking through glass windows to learn something in a desperate situation, but with dedication and conviction.
After a reasonable amount of time, we find Roya as a young girl and university student. Continuing her desire to learn and research, she strikes a deal with a caring cafe owner named Nassar Memarzia: she will teach him how to use all the features of the computer equipment he purchased for his male customers if he allows her to practice on it every morning before normal business hours. After practicing and exploring technology and its perspectives for a short time, she emerges as an expert in the field of computer science and information technology. Progressing further, she launched her own emerging software company and then established a computer training institute for girls. As she dreams of providing her students with everything she herself cherished and desired, she works smartly and painstakingly and continues to achieve her goals further and further. She is encouraged to realize that girls’ interest in education and training is much deeper than she expected. When she decides to form an all-female robotics team and asks for four participants, many girls come forward and contact her.
Naturally, when you want to achieve something great or do something extraordinary, you have to face heavy difficulties and difficulties. So, Roya and her trainees have to struggle hard and overcome various obstacles. Almost all girls face resistance and dissatisfaction from their parents and families when they express their ambition to participate in global competitions. However, Roya proves to be as convincing as she is steadfast, as evidenced in one of the film’s finest scenes, in which she is portrayed as a mature and seasoned person while convincing a skeptical father to allow his daughter to follow his vision and realize her long-cherished dreams.
The hot winds don’t stop there and the conflicts continue even after all team members have demonstrated their faith, determination and courage. When traveling from Afghanistan to America to compete, the girls are denied visas for reasons including the fact that they recently traveled to Iran to visit a relative. After Roya enlists a sympathetic American journalist to write about their plight, the story becomes a sensation in the international media. Even then, traveling at the last minute, they are virtually unable to catch a sold-out flight until several people volunteer to give up their seats. The following outline takes the viewer deeper into the lives of the girls, who continue to face sociopolitical and cultural pressures. For example, after a competition, girls enthusiastically sign the shirts of the competing male troupes and have theirs signed in return, leading to humiliation from their loved ones and violent threats from the Taliban.
The script’s list of credits includes, alongside Bill Guttentag himself, Elaha Mahboob (the real-life character and crew member) as writer, suggesting the direct involvement of real people in conveying the story. Guttentag selected a young and talented cast for the film, which added color to the project. Nikohl Boosheri, who played the title role, did justice to her performance by conveying depth and power to her character as an inspiring teacher and guiding force behind her young robotics team. She previously starred in The Bold Type and Circumstance. Ali Fazal also played his character well. An acclaimed artist recognized for his performances in Victoria & Abdul and Kandahar, he is appreciated in the Hollywood and Bollywood film industries. Fahim Fazli, who made a mark for himself after playing admirable roles in films like 12 Strong and Iron Man, has also added weight to this venture based on his reputation as an experienced actor and a true advocate of humanity and Afghan-American socio-cultural ties. Other actors, including Noorin Gulamgaus, Amber Afzali, Nina Hosseinzadeh, Sara Malal Rowe and Mariam Saraj, contributed with skill and passion to make the project an artistic success.
One of the substantial features of Rule Breakers is its empowering theme that stimulates the struggle for women’s emancipation, freedom and humanity. The entire texture of the theme is infused with inspiration, representation and the elevation of female voices. As it focuses exclusively on the plight of girls residing in Afghanistan studying technology, science and robotics, it provides a niche for iconoclastic approaches and brainstorming. Studying robotics or aspiring to higher education is a narrative rarely appreciated in a typical Afghan context. Marilyn Monroe once said, “If I had followed all the rules, I would never have gotten anywhere.” »
From a critical point of view, the film appears to be somewhat chaotic in its narrative outline, plot development and structural features. There are unnatural deadlines for certain heroic adventures or phases of character development, as well as abrupt transitions to entirely transformed life stages. Additionally, the film’s pacing has hiccups, making it difficult for viewers to keep track of the intended emotional beats.
It is also surprisingly regrettable to note that the film was only released in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Sri Lanka, leaving the entire world aside. Moreover, these four countries and societies have little need for such didactic or revolutionary endeavors to identify this story with their culture or to repair their traditions in light of this bold and true story of future iconoclastic girls. Since the story gives visibility to young women who are scientists, innovators and problem solvers in a challenging environment, it should have been a priority in third world countries and backward societies.
To conclude, keeping in mind all the pros and cons of this cinematic adventure – a film that is both documentary and dramatic – we can safely say that this is a big step forward in terms of promoting “art for the sake of life”. This is a moving and thought-provoking story that, despite some errors in characterization and plot development, still conveys its didactic purpose through a memorable tale with roots in real life.
The writer is a journalist, author and literary critic. He can be contacted at [email protected]
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the author
